Naruto: Copy System#695+696: The Choice, Zephyr's Death

"Smoker, stop spacing out. It's time to go," Kizaru said.

"Don't let your stubbornness get you killed."

Sensing Smoker’s reluctance to leave, Kizaru added the warning, and his words seemed to hit their mark.

There was nothing Smoker could do by staying. He'd only be a liability, or worse, get himself killed. His earlier defiance toward Shin had been bold, to say the least.

Aokiji had already stepped in to protect him, so Kizaru couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

In the end, Smoker left. Shin glanced in the direction he had fled. Just as Aokiji tensed, expecting an attack, Shin did nothing.

'He didn't attack...' Aokiji thought, a little confused by Shin's restraint.

"I don't get angry over the provocations of an ant," Shin said nonchalantly, as if reading Aokiji's mind.

Aokiji fell silent. He certainly wasn't going to make the first move against Shin. He knew his own limits, and his main goal was to stop Kizaru from going after his old teacher, Zephyr.

——————

"Zephyr-sensei, you should leave too," Aokiji urged.

"Zephyr can't leave." Kizaru glanced at Aokiji, then moved to block Zephyr's path.

In truth, Zephyr had no intention of running. He had never even considered it.

From the very beginning, Zephyr had been prepared to fight to the end. But he didn't want his students, who had followed him so loyally, to get hurt.

"Ain, all of you, leave," Zephyr said, his voice carrying the weight of a man who had accepted his fate.

The Dyna Stones were gone. His plan was in ruins. There was no path forward for him now.

The Marines would never let him go. Only his death would ensure the safety of his students. If he lived, the Marines would never stop hunting Ain and the others.

"But—"

"If you still see me as your teacher, then go," Zephyr said, his voice heavy.

Seeing the unyielding resolve in his eyes, Ain and the others finally left. Kizaru didn't stop them, nor did he order the Marines to. There was no need for a fight to the death.

"Now, sensei, you can face your end, can't you?" Kizaru said, his gaze fixed on Zephyr.

"Aokiji, stay out of this. This is between me and Kizaru now," Zephyr said gravely to Aokiji.

Aokiji understood what his former teacher meant. As long as Zephyr lived, this conflict would never end... Zephyr had made his choice. Aokiji felt he had no right to interfere with his teacher's decision.

——————

"Captain," Hina said, looking at Shin.

"He's made his choice. There's no need to save him. We should respect it," Shin said, glancing at Hina.

After a moment of internal struggle, Hina didn't ask Shin to save Zephyr.

She could see it too. Her teacher didn't want to be saved. Even if they intervened, it would be pointless. A futile effort.

Once Zephyr was dead, the leaderless NEO Marines would pose no real threat and wouldn't be targeted. This was the best possible outcome. Besides, Zephyr himself had no desire to die of old age. Rather than a slow, sad decline, he preferred to die in battle.

——————

"Come, Borsalino. Let your old teacher give you one last lesson." Zephyr stared at Kizaru, his body exuding a formidable aura.

Zephyr didn't have Conqueror's Haki, nor did he have a killer's instinct.

Known as the Admiral who never killed, his hands were free of blood. This was the aura of a true powerhouse. Even in his old age, Zephyr was not to be underestimated. Especially now, as he prepared to go all out.

Zephyr took out a small vial of medicine and downed it all. He now had to rely on drugs to maintain his fighting strength. Of course, taking too much of this medicine would have serious side effects.

But Zephyr didn't care anymore. This was the final battle of his life. The side effects were irrelevant.

Black Armament Haki coated his hands, including his weapon, the Smasher. If Zephyr was known for one thing, it was his Armament Haki.

After all, one of his titles was Black Arm Zephyr.

<Six Powers: Shave!>

He stomped the ground, generating an unimaginable burst of speed, and appeared before Kizaru in an instant, as if he had teleported. He threw a punch—

Even while dragging the massive Smasher, he could move that fast. It was clear Zephyr was giving it everything he had.

Just as the Smasher was about to hit Kizaru, Kizaru's body vanished. Zephyr's powerful strike hit nothing but air.

"You've still got some fight in you, sensei," Kizaru's voice came from behind Zephyr.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Zephyr spun around and threw another punch.

"What a terrifying punch. A pity it's a bit too slow for me."

Kizaru once again phased through Zephyr's attack. Kizaru was the perfect counter for Zephyr. The Marines hadn't sent him here without reason.

Zephyr's power was immense, but his greatest weakness was his speed. Due to his body's deterioration, Zephyr could no longer reach the terrifying speeds of his youth.

Against Kizaru, Zephyr might be able to hold his own, but he could never win. If the fight dragged on, Zephyr's defeat was inevitable.

After Kizaru dodged another attack, Zephyr stopped. He wasn't a fool. He knew his greatest weakness against Kizaru wasn't speed, but stamina. If this became a battle of attrition, he would be the one to fall.

Zephyr stopped attacking and took a defensive stance, waiting for Kizaru's move.

"You're old, sensei. You don't even have a tenth of the strength you had in your prime."

If he were facing the Zephyr of the past, Kizaru wouldn't dare be so careless. But the current Zephyr? Kizaru felt he could easily defeat him with minimal effort.

He no longer saw Zephyr as a threat, his eyes filled with condescension.

Faced with Kizaru's dismissive gaze, Zephyr remained composed. He understood that anger would accomplish nothing—it would only place him at a greater disadvantage. Kizaru's strength was undeniable. Regardless of his flaws, they paled in comparison to Zephyr's aging body.

"Sensei, did you ever imagine this day would come?" Kizaru asked.

"Borsalino, you shouldn't be so arrogant."

Zephyr's face showed a hint of displeasure. 'Even if I can't beat you, that doesn't give you the right to humiliate me like this.'

<><><><><><><><>

"He's really dragging this out. Is Kizaru trying to buy time so Zephyr can escape?"

Shin mused aloud. If it were anyone else, Kizaru might have done just that. But against Zephyr, with whom he had a personal history, Kizaru would never let him go. Otherwise, he wouldn't have killed him in the original story.

Perhaps hearing Shin's voice, Kizaru stopped trash-talking and acted decisively, launching an attack on Zephyr.

He went for a surprise attack, but it was pointless. Zephyr was already on high alert—a sneak attack was never going to work.

Zephyr took a step to the right, narrowly dodging Kizaru's laser beam, then quickly countered with a punch aimed straight at Kizaru's face.

It was more of a smash than a punch, using the full weight of his Smasher arm.

Kizaru tilted his head, dodging the attack. Zephyr's eyes lit up, and he slammed his entire body into Kizaru.

With his body coated in Armament Haki, he didn't have to worry about Kizaru phasing through him. Elementalization couldn't dodge an attack like this.

Kizaru was sent flying by Zephyr's body slam, crashing a great distance away before landing.

"Not bad. I didn't expect Zephyr to still be able to counterattack."

Shin felt somewhat surprised. This could only mean Kizaru had been overconfident. Underestimating Zephyr came at a price. Kizaru was now paying it, having taken a solid hit from Zephyr.

A blow of that magnitude was no trivial matter.

——————

Kizaru's eyes sharpened. He had been too careless.

"<Light Speed Kick!>"

Kizaru kicked at Zephyr. After Zephyr blocked it, he followed up with another kick.

The relentless assault put Zephyr on the back foot. A serious Kizaru was a formidable opponent.

If Kizaru had competed for the position of Fleet Admiral, the final outcome would have been anyone's guess.

"<Yasakani Sacred Jewel!>"

This was likely Kizaru's ultimate move. A wide-range attack that left Zephyr with no room to dodge. It was on par with Akainu's Meteor Volcano and Aokiji's Ice Age—basically, an unavoidable attack.

"Zephyr-sensei, stop your pointless struggling."

Kizaru, watching Zephyr desperately defend, instantly appeared behind him. Two golden beams of light pierced through Zephyr's body.

They were laser beams. They could even pierce Whitebeard—Zephyr stood no chance of blocking them.

Of course, if Zephyr had coated his entire body in Armament Haki, he might have been able to withstand the attack. But unfortunately, he hadn't. Full-body Armament Haki consumed too much stamina. Zephyr, already low on stamina, wouldn't waste it so recklessly.

"The outcome was clear from the start," Hancock said, watching the outmatched Zephyr.

"Yes, it was. No matter what tricks Zephyr had up his sleeve, he could never kill Kizaru."

Shin nodded in agreement with Hancock. The current Zephyr could barely muster the strength of an Admiral, and that was only in short bursts. A prolonged battle was out of the question. His stamina was at its peak just now—now, it was steadily declining.

And Shin could also see that the effects of the drug Zephyr had taken were already wearing off.

Once the effects were completely gone, he would be a sitting duck.

"Hina, don't be sad. This was your teacher's choice. Even if you tried to save him, he wouldn't be grateful," Olvia said to the downcast Hina.

"I know," Hina replied, her spirits low, but she didn't make a move.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The entire island shook. It had already been transformed into a land of ice and fire by Akainu and Aokiji's battle. Now, it was on the verge of collapsing.

Zephyr's body rolled on the ground, sent flying by one of Kizaru's slashes.

——————

At this moment, Kizaru was moving at high speed, leaving afterimages in the air, his movements almost too fast to see.

Faced with such speed, Zephyr seemed to be only able to take a beating, unable to even counterattack.

Clutching his chest, Zephyr knelt on the ground. A large hole had been pierced through his heart.

No blood flowed out—the wound had been cauterized by the high temperature, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

But even with a hole in his heart, Zephyr wasn't dead. Not because his heart was on the other side, but because people in the world of One Piece had incredibly tenacious life force.

He was still alive, but not for long. His life force was draining away rapidly. Soon, it would be completely gone, and he would be dead.

"Let me send you off one last time, Zephyr-sensei."

Kizaru delivered the final blow, a massive hole blasted through Zephyr's body. Zephyr's tall figure collapsed to the ground.

Looking at Zephyr's fallen body, Kizaru didn't desecrate it. No matter how deep their hatred ran, he wouldn't stoop to that level.

"It's all over. We should go." Kizaru glanced at Shin in the distance, then prepared to leave.

Staying here, with Shin watching, made him feel unsafe, as if he were in great danger. So it was better not to linger. He had to leave quickly—not flee, but make a tactical retreat.

"Aokiji, I'll be reporting your presence here," Kizaru said, glancing at Aokiji.

As for whether Aokiji would be hunted down later, that had nothing to do with Kizaru. Don't think their past relationship was that good.

In fact, Kizaru and Aokiji's relationship was just average. At most, there was no conflict between them. Kizaru couldn't care less if Aokiji lived or died.